


Flowers on Snow and Petals on Ice

by jello12451



Series: and the arts in our lives and the beauty they bring, let us thank them too [2]
Category: Hermitcraft RPF, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Cameos of various others because yes, Gen, Ice Skating, Only for the figure skating routines tho, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, figure skating, some music, yep again
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-12 12:28:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29135553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jello12451/pseuds/jello12451
Summary: Grian breathes out. “How does it feel to be on the ice?”“Freeing.” Mumbo replies automatically. “Amazing. Wonderful.”Grian looks away. “I know you’re trying to get me back into it. Mumbo, I- I can’t. I just wanted to know-”“If you want to know, perhaps you should get on yourself.” Mumbo says, uncharacteristically confrontational. “You know that Corpse and Sykkuno are more than willing to get you to start up again.”“It’s been years.” Grian says quietly.“It’s been years.” Mumbo agrees. “But figure skating is your passion.”“Until it’s not.” Grian mumbles.OR: In which Grian is a talented figure skater who has given up his craft, Mumbo tries to help him get back into it, and the idots crash the party. Oh, and the crew is all here too.
Relationships: Platonic Friendship between literally everyone
Series: and the arts in our lives and the beauty they bring, let us thank them too [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2135943
Comments: 107
Kudos: 116





	1. Aster

**Author's Note:**

> And I'm back at it again with Niche AUs  
> Yep  
> So I don't know whether or not I can update this as regularly as I did for SoF&SoR. I'm not a professional figure skater by any means, but I do love it, so here I go  
> Woooo

The lights flick off. One by one.

A single spotlight shines on one figure, standing alone at the center of the ice rink.

Mumbo breathes in, then out. Left leg behind the right, hands loose at his sides, and he relaxes himself, waiting for the music to start. 

The first soft chord starts, and he waits two beats before raising his arms out in front of him, then bringing them back as he spins once, then does his step sequence on beat with every accented note in the recording. A few bracket turns, some three turns, and then the piano stops at a note. Mumbo counts carefully before hitting the ice with his right toe pick, taking off from the outside edge of his left foot before spinning in the air counter-clockwise thrice, and landing on the outside edge of his right skate. 

Triple lutz. 

He lands on beat as the piano comes back in, and now there’s another spotlight, following another figure. Cleo makes her entrance with a grand outside edge spiral position, skating across the ice and circling around the rink as Mumbo skates at the opposite side. They circle around each other, movements synchronized and symmetric, steps filled with turns. Both of them jump, performing a double axel before landing, using the momentum to keep going and slowing down at the center of the ice, meeting each other.

The music quiets down.

Now, the two of them circle around each other, holding left hands, the other ones in the air. They slowly transition into a pair camel spin, and when the rest of the strings come in in the recording, Cleo extends her arm out, no longer holding onto Mumbo’s leg. Gracefully, she brings her back leg up, then, as the section fades away, they stop the spin effortlessly.

The main section is back.

The next few sections involve step sequences, with a few more bracket turns. Their arm movements gradually get bigger and grander, and when the melody comes back again, Mumbo is lifting Cleo in the air with a hand-to-hip hold, rotating twice before putting her down. Both are in the catch-foot position for a bit longer before they’re skating forwards, turning around, gaining momentum- Mumbo  _ throws Cleo into the air- _

-and Cleo lands just as the strings come back once more, and Mumbo can’t help but grin as they skate, hand in hand, and once again Cleo is lifted at the next section of the music, switching positions at cues and descending back onto the ice, only to go into a death spiral in time for the music to calm down.

And that’s the movement that brings Cleo and Mumbo to the end, the latter pulling the former up as they finish, breathing hard, standing with hands clasped and the other arm extended out.

Silence.

And then the lights go on, and there are crowds cheering and clapping and there are announcers saying their names, and they’re giving bows-

-except they aren’t, because there was never any spotlight in the first place. Mumbo sighs as he is pulled out of the fantasy, and is immediately met with clapping from his three friends and their two coaches, instead. 

Tiredly, Mumbo and Cleo incline their heads at each other before skating to the edge, walking onto the solid ground with their skates and heading over to their own friends with practiced ease. He can hear Stress and False praise Cleo’s amazing performance, and ignores how quiet Grian is as he unties his skates.

Even when Mumbo has taken them off and slotted them back into his bag, Grian is still silent, despite the invitation to conversation. 

“Stress!” Sykkuno calls out. “You’re up! I want to try to get both you and False on the ice before lunch break.”

Stress nods and quickly moves to get on the ice, skating a few times around the rink. Their two coaches follow her movements carefully.

“Hey.”

Mumbo startles the slightest bit, but relaxes almost immediately. “Hey.” He replies, equally quiet, as he watches the usually cheerful and chaotic teen fumble for words.

Grian breathes out. “How does it feel to be on the ice?”

“Freeing.” Mumbo replies automatically. “Amazing. Wonderful.”

Grian looks away. “I know you’re trying to get me back into it. Mumbo, I- I can’t. I just wanted to know-”

“If you want to know, perhaps you should get on yourself.” Mumbo says, uncharacteristically confrontational. “You know that Corpse and Sykkuno are more than willing to get you to start up again."

“It’s been years.” Grian says quietly.

“It’s been years.” Mumbo agrees. “But figure skating is your passion.”

“Until it’s not.” Grian mumbles.

Mumbo shakes his head. They’ve had this conversation far more times than he can count, but the answer is the same every time.

And really, it’s a terrible thing. Because Grian was once someone whose love for figure skating was unparalleled, and someone who would throw himself into the sport with all the passion in the world. He has talent, too- though Corpse and Sykkuno have only taken over their training for the past year, they’ve seen the old videos where Grian was but thirteen, and yet able to land a triple axel.

They praised him. They asked why he stopped. 

And Mumbo doesn’t know the details, either.

He knows that it was an incident during figure skating. But he cannot even begin to fathom how bad the incident must have been, to break Grian to the point of giving up the sport altogether. 

To the point where, three years later, when they’re all sixteen- Grian still refuses to train, despite the fact that they’re all entering the prime years of a figure skater.

Mumbo can barely pay attention to Stress and False’s solo routines, watching as they spin, twirl and skate. Stress has always been more inclined to spins, and he watches her Biellmann spin. Then he blinks, and now it’s False on the ice, in a near perfect Ina Bauer position, movements as grand as ever. 

They all look so free. Mumbo can’t help but compare that to the playful, yet slightly more subdued teen beside him, sketching out diagrams of geometry when he should be thinking of his choreography. 

He’s not a pair skater- none of them are, despite their exhibition routines- and he knows the feeling of having the entire stage to yourself. 

But Grian hasn’t felt that in years. 

The thought occupies him enough so that by the time he’s focused again, their coaches are calling them over to the other side of the rink.

(He continues to wonder why Grian is still in the special school program, and why Grian hasn’t flown home yet. He wonders if Grian’s parents know of the truth.)

Mumbo and Grian rush to join the three girls, and they stand together, all with various levels of tension in their stances. 

“So!” Sykkuno claps his hands together. “As you may remember, there are five other skaters that will be joining us from overseas. I  _ think _ they’re staying for a year or two? Or possibly until they retire. Depends on how they like the program.” Sykkuno shrugs. “At any rate, all of you will be handed over to Corpse.”

Mumbo looks over at the other impassive coach, and swallows dryly.

Sykkuno gives a light laugh. “Don’t worry, Corpse is actually a lot nicer than he sounds.”

Stress raises her hand. “Will they be training on this rink as well?”

Sykkuno nods. “Yes. Thus, our schedules will be a lot tighter than they usually are- when half of us are working on spins, form and such, the other half will be on the ice. Grian, you’re welcome to watch whenever.”

Grian nods.

Sykkuno shoots them a last smile before walking out of the rink with Corpse. “They’re good skaters, guys. I’m sure you will have fun.”

Mumbo blinks a few times.

_ Fun… as if the people coming aren’t reputable for being some of the most chaotic skaters on ice, ever. Right. _

False, Stress, Cleo, Mumbo and Grian looked at each other nervously.

False clears her throat. “...anyone fancy some salads?”

~

“Vurb, I will murder you.”

“Try me.”

“Zelk.” Finn called out without looking up from painting his nails. “No murder on the plane, please.”

Mega just looked on impassively as Spifey sighed from his seat. They were lucky enough to get funding for a private plane overseas, ready to meet two retired champions and train for… however long they were allowed. At 16, all of them were in their prime, but whether or not they would be able to take advantage of that remains to be seen. 

...and whether or not they would survive this plane ride.

Spifey heaves another sigh as he moves over to sit beside Finn. “Hi.”

“Hey.” Finn replies. “You reckon they’ll accept my pair dancing with Zelk?”

Spifey shrugs. “I don’t see why not. I mean, at the international level… that does remain to be seen, but Corpse and Sykkuno are nice people.”

“I guess…” Finn mutters. “I heard there are three girls in their other group. You think they’ll force Vurb to skate with one of them?”

Spifey shudders at the thought. “I feel bad for whoever is paired up with him.

Vurb, having heard that statement, chucks a half filled water bottle at Spifey. Spifey catches it with ease.

“Real talk, though?” Spifey said, tone turning serious. “I’m sure they’ll understand. The world is changing, and it’s becoming more accepting. They’ve only retired last year, and the others are our age- surely they’ll get it.”

_ Yeah. _ Mega tapped on their shoulders to get their attention, a row back.  _ And if they don’t, you know that we’ll go around until we find another. Even if they are the tied champions from last year’s international.  _

“Hmm.” Spifey couldn’t tell if Finn was convinced or not, but elected to recline back and try to get what little sleep could be gleaned from the rest of this long flight. He heard Mega plop back down into his seat, presumably readying his earbuds to ignore the rest of the world for however long he can while reading a book. Zelk and Vurb continued to bicker, prompting Spifey to smack his pillow onto his face. 

“For the love of god Vurb my toes are  _ not for sale! _ ”

“Come on!”

Idots, they call themselves. And as chaotic as they are, they’re all talented figure skaters in their own right. Even though it doesn’t seem like it.

Zelk and Finn are one of the most talented pairs on ice the world has ever seen, despite the unconventional gender pairing. Mega performs spins like it’s nobody’s business, easily changing between different positions without a single falter, and Vurb’s jumps are almost unparalleled for those his age. 

And Spifey? Well, he’s more well-rounded than the most, but in his opinion, he’s much better at step sequences. Everyone else isn’t having it, though. 

Spifey sighs for the third time on the plane ride, taking the pillow off to avoid suffocation. 

_ This is going to be a long and painful five hours. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Aster- Wisdom, Devotion
> 
> Song skated to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQUXUdD3B-4  
> (Reach Beyond by Paul Werner)


	2. Columbine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! sorry about just kinda disappearing on ao3 and not responding to any comments- as soon as this is out I'll get down to that. But anyway yeah  
> Also I wrote a DSMP theme. Yeah, you heard me. DSMP, not Dream. DSMP. :)  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFOsvrDZvQU

“I swear to all the gods and everything above that I will murder you, Zelk.” Spifey said darkly, only half joking. Needless to say, the plane ride was almost completely filled with Zelk and Vurb’s arguing, and now all of them were feeling the effects of jetlag as they stumbled towards their hotel.

It probably would’ve been better if they had gotten sleep. But Mega was the only one who had the foresight to bring earbuds with him on the carry-on luggage, and pillows aren’t the best at muffling sound.

“Hey.” Zelk protested. “Blame Vurb.”

“Ex _cuse_ me?” Vurb said, indignant. “You were the one flinging airport food all over the place!”

“And _you_ were the one throwing water bottles at people.” Zelk retorted. Spifey sighed and rubbed his forehead. 

“Guys.” He called out, tired. As much as he wanted to metaphorically make sure that Zelk and Vurb would never impede on his sleep schedule _ever again,_ he was also their implied leader and he’s pretty sure he’s supposed to keep order. 

Which, in his opinion, is a _terrible_ idea, but Spifey digresses.

Finn snaps his fingers, which somehow brings everyone to silence. Spifey shoots him a grateful look before clearing his throat. “Alright. So, plan for today: we get our luggage, we check into the hotel, we get lunch, and we meet Corpse and Sykkuno in the afternoon at the rink. Sound good?”

Nods.

Spifey exhales. “Okay. Let’s hope things go to plan.”

~

Things did not go to plan.

First, they were at the wrong place for luggage pickup, and ended up waiting for a good hour or so before realizing this. Then, they were told that they had to go to a desk in order to pick it up, because apparently the suitcases were _on their way to be sent home-_ which caused general panic. 

Once they’d gotten their luggage, they spent twenty minutes trying to hail a taxi, and then, when they arrived at the hotel, they discovered that there had been a mistake and their rooms were already taken, resulting in them waiting _another_ thirty minutes for a room to be freed. And _then_ they had a grand argument on who should share with who, culminating in Spifey eventually stepping in and electing to have Finn and Zelk together while having the other three in the other room.

It’s never good to have Zelk and Vurb in the same room, after all. The flight was a prime example.

As if their day hadn’t already been, objectively, the worst, the salads they had ordered tasted terrible as well. 

So by the time the Idots were walking towards the ice rink, all of them were sleep-deprived, tired, hungry and generally _done_ with the day. And Spifey was getting a little headache from all the arguing.

But if there was one thing they had to look forward to, it was getting on the ice.

And indeed, as soon as they had dropped off their bags and opened the door to the rink, the cool blast of air almost instantaneously calmed all of them down. As silent as Mega was, he was practically _vibrating_ to get on the ice. 

All five of them set down their bags and pulled out their skates, quickly moving towards the rink. In the center of the rink, they recognized four others that they were informed of- False, Stress, Cleo and Mumbo. But most of them were looking for the fifth person they were told would be here.

Spifey scanned the rink with narrowed eyes. Other than the nine of them and the two coaches, there were no others to be seen on ice. Maybe the legend was to make a grand entrance?

That possibility became dimmer and dimmer as time wore on, and Corpse and Sykkuno came to a stop in front of them. “Alright! So, mostly introductions, today. Hermits, meet the Idots, Idots, meet the Hermits!”

“Hermits?” Zelk questioned curiously.

“Yeah.” Mumbo replied without missing a beat. “Before we decided to go full on figure-skating, we all lived in rural areas where the closest person is a ten minute drive. So, hermits. On that topic-” Mumbo, presumably leader of the Hermits, peers over at them. “Why Idots?”

“No clue.” Spifey replied just as easily.

The five Idots continue to wait for the Hermits’ fifth member. He does not come.

An awkward silence ensues. Cleo shifts uncomfortably. Mega’s hands come up to sign, then fall back at his sides. 

Spifey and Mumbo stare at each other.

(Mumbo does not miss the silent question in the other skater’s eyes, but chooses to feign ignorance anyway.)

“...So!” Sykkuno breaks in. “We’re going to just… uh, have a demo day! I’m sure the Idots are all tired, and the Hermits have definitely been training hard for the morning- so, who wants to go first?”

 _That,_ everyone could agree on. Just as Mega’s hands came up to sign, everyone else simultaneously replied “Not it.”

All heads turned to Mega, whose hands were still frozen in the middle of signing the same phrase.

Inwardly, Mega groaned.

~

For a silent person who never speaks, the piece of music Mega chose was surprisingly fiery.

But for good reason.

Underneath that calm and indifferent demeanor, there was indeed a fire. A fire that could roar so bright, that people would always regret igniting it.

Mega takes a deep breath and skates a couple of times around the rink before coming to a stop at the center. Hands crossed, covering his chest, resting on his shoulders, left hand behind the right, he waits for the music to start.

As soon as it does, he pushes off his left to swing around in a quick turn, arms coming out before he starts his step sequences, skating around the perimeter. There are a few turns before the strings come in, and when they do, Mega immediately goes into a flying camel spin. This slowly transitions into him twisting to grab his skate, and he _pulls_ it towards his body. His leg then comes in front of him and he goes into a sit spin, and _impossibly_ , rises back up into an upright position.

Jaws drop. Cleo whispers to False, who nods fervently. Sykkuno takes a couple of notes, and Spifey nods. He’s used to this.

Clearly, the others are not, and the Idots have to bite back a laugh at the way Mumbo just _stares_ at the figure on ice. 

On the rink, Mega shows no signs of being dizzy, or having performed the spin at all. Instead, he goes on, doing his step sequences with the music, making maximum use of the space in the rink. 

This is when the door opens, though no one knows of it. The person that the Idots had been waiting for slips in silently, and watches the skater dance to the music. He does not wear skates, and holds nothing but a school textbook.

The others pay no attention to him. Grian does not mind. 

He watches. 

As soon as the music calms down to only the strings, Mega starts gaining momentum, skating backwards, culminating in a triple axel and double toe. His landing is a little shaky- he’s never been one for spins, after all. Everyone makes note of this.

 _Especially_ Grian. He, just like Vurb, has always been better at jumps.

Then, Grian frowns. _No, that’s not right. I’m not getting back on the ice. I’m not. Not after last time._

_Not after last time._

He shakes himself from his thoughts. He ignores how Mumbo is at the opposite side of the rink, and has almost undoubtedly caught him standing there. 

As the music increases in intensity, Mega’s steps get grander and more difficult, throwing in more turns and a double axel right before the music starts to transition into the final section. He does a few _more_ steps, and just when the music pauses temporarily, he lands his final jump- a triple toe.

Mega quietly breathes a sigh of relief. After this, it’s all familiar territory.

Of course, that’s not what most skaters would think. Spins are hard, often, but Mega finds them easier than most. He stops himself from smirking at the thought of people struggling on spin camels, and redirects his focus to the routine at hand. 

His arms come up with the music, and there are more and more steps. But not for long, because the timer is quickly ticking away the last seconds on the clock for his program. Once the low brass enter, Mega goes into a _flying sit spin,_ and he slowly pulls himself up again until he’s in an upright spin, and _stops._

Just like the music.

Mega had listened to the music, _several_ times, while he had waited for his previous coach to choreograph it. The running time of the track is two minutes and forty-eight seconds- just eight seconds over the time limit of a regular short program.

They’d agreed to cut the last section.

The _final_ section, that ends the piece in a fiery, explosive manner, and that brings everything to a closing, tonic chord.

Mega ends, hand extended, even though his mind still expects the last section to come.

And most of the others at the rink burst into applause, because none of them have heard the true ending of that piece.

They’ve only ever heard the cut, unfinished version.

Mega shakes the thoughts from his head. He doesn’t know why they’re bothering him now, but pushes them aside as the others quickly meet him at the side of the rink to clap him on the back and congratulate him.

He barely manages to crack a grin.

(He doesn’t know why he’s only miffed _now_ , after months and months of preparing the same routine.)

Spifey notices. He always does, but he says nothing.

There’s nothing to be said, after all.

~

It’s only two more performances, after Cleo does her solo and Spifey follows, and only when Mumbo gets on the ice, does Spifey realize that the legend is there.

Grian, the one they’d been looking for, is standing to the side of the rink. 

He’s not wearing skates.

Spifey squints. He isn’t even carrying a bag to put his skates in. Did he finish his training for today?

But that’s not right. His demo wasn’t even done yet.

...unless he’s not skating?

But that doesn’t make sense either. 

Spifey frowned and made his way over to Grian, as winded as he was. The other teen seemed to flinch slightly before relaxing as Spifey sat down beside him.

Spifey has never been one for dancing around the topic.

Instead, he’s blunt.

“Aren’t you skating?”

Grian does not answer as he watches Mumbo’s routine. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Stress give him a look, but pointedly ignores her. 

“I don’t see you wearing skates.”

Grian exhales through his nose. “I don’t need them.”

“What do you mean? Aren’t you a skater?”

Something flashes in Grian’s eyes, too quickly for Spifey to get a read on it. But then his expression screws into one of careful indifference- a mask Spifey is all too familiar with, and has seen far too many times to count. 

After all, it’s the one that everyone wears whenever someone is hiding something. 

“No.” Grian responds. “Not anymore.”

Spifey sits in shocked silence as Grian gets up and leaves the rink, closing the door after him.

_...What the hell?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Columbine: Foolishness, Folly
> 
> Piece skated to:  
> Realm of Gabriel by Golden Anchor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nntmcqfuS2k


	3. Lilac

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for that break I took lmao but in my defense I released a song on monday and wednesday  
> Listen to the clingyduo song?  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okmilb4Tsu8

Okay, let’s put it this way. 

False is a confrontational person. She prefers to tackle her problems head-on, often deciding to practice the same spins over and over again, to jump and fall as many times as it takes, in order to be able to land perfectly or gain the full marks from the spins to move on to free skate. 

She does not hesitate to do the mindless, grueling task of just brutal, honest, hard work.

Which is why she finds Grian’s case particularly frustrating.

Social interactions? Not her cup of tea, thank you. Especially since now there’s five other chaotic skaters to deal with.

But Grian’s case is not one that can be solved with a slew of words and chipping away at his resolve. No. If that had been the case, surely he would’ve caved in at Mumbo’s insistence.

The other has been trying for  _ years _ , after all. 

It frustrates False to no end. Is she expected to just sit there and watch her friend waste away, slowly but surely, as he stares ever so wistfully at the glimmering ice?

_ Really? _

But that’s not the focus right now. Because they’re meant to help the Idots get situated-  _ why was she roped into this again? _ \- and the Idots seem to have  _ no _ idea about this city they live in.

It’s with a practiced ease that the Hermits move seamlessly through the crowded streets, bags slung behind them. Except for Grian, who hurries along with nothing but a small binder.

False stares at it. Or, rather, the lack of things other than the binder. 

There is a wave of  _ something _ that rises in False’s throat, but she can’t identify it. She shoves it down and turns back to see the Idots struggling.

The Hermits look at each other with mild amusement. Then, because they’re terrible, chaotic beings- except for Stress, who looks at the four of them with something akin to exasperation, though she’s really not surprised, until False  _ grabs _ her arm as Stress yelps and they run together- they bolt and weave through the crowd, feeling  _ way too much glee _ at the alarmed and panicked shouts of the Idots. False is fairly sure that she can hear Finn cursing. 

She laughs as she runs, darting from one area to the next, somehow keeping pace with Cleo, even while pulling Stress along, and they race each other to the apartment. The Idots are next door, and presumably they’re going to get an earful when they inevitably find their way back, but- worth it.

_ Especially _ when it starts raining.

Grian looks outside, then cackles. It’s loud enough that Cleo, False and Stress can hear across the walls, as they collapse on their beds, sweating from the sprinting they did.

Then again, they’re literally next door, so maybe that doesn’t count for that much.

But when Finn knocks on their door, dripping wet, and when False can see the other four Idots behind him, soaked and looking  _ furious _ , she decides to be a little more nice and tells them how to use their room key card before Grian can convince them to break it.

And because she’s feeling more generous than usual, she holds back her laughter until the two groups of Idots have filed into their rooms, then bursts into grand peals of it, watching Cleo and Stress do the same.

If Vurb’s affronted yells are any indication, that last one didn’t help.

~

“I hate you.”

“Glad to know the feeling’s mutual.”

“Shut up, both of you.”

“Why did we bother to room with Vurb again?”

“Because Vurb and Zelk just doesn’t work.”

“Ah. Can we leave him in the hallway?”

“Like I said: I hate you.”

“No surprise.”

“Whatever. We need to change. We’re literally all soaking and-  _ Vurb, why are you on the bed?? _ ”

“I’m tired!”

“That’s yours now.”

“WHAT?! YOU ASKED FOR THIS ONE!”

“Yeah, and now you got it all wet. So: yours.”

“Siding with Finn on this one.”

“This is treachery.”

“It’s really not.”

“I hate you all. Zelk, let me room with you.”

“ _ Hell no! _ ”

“Dammit.”

~

Mumbo stands up when he hears a knock at the door, and promptly goes to open it. He’s a little more than surprised to see Spifey standing there, fresh out of the shower and in dry clothes. 

“Hey. Have a nice shower?” Mumbo teases, and Spifey grumbles, though good-naturedly. 

“Do you have a moment?”

Mumbo shrugs. “Yeah, I guess? Grian’s getting takeout right now. You wanna come in?”

“Sure.”

Mumbo steps aside to let Spifey into the room, and the latter scans it. It’s very clearly lived in- after all, Mumbo and Grian have been rooming together like this since forever.

Two years, if Mumbo remembers correctly. Even when Grian all but quit figure skating while  _ still _ overseas, he- 

The thought twists Mumbo’s heart, and he shuts down the train of thought. Spifey’s eyes continue to scan over the room, noting the small details- the pens, strewn across the desk, the books and computers scattered around the room, the corner of the room sectioned off for the figure skating equipment.

Spifey notes that there’s only one bag dropped in that corner. 

Mumbo follows his gaze, and his own eyes land on the lone bag in the corner.

That shouldn’t be lonely.

Mumbo clears his throat uncomfortably. “I… think I have a few things to explain.”

“You do.” Spifey murmured. 

A soft, awkward pause. 

Spifey takes a breath. “The Idots are asking, you know. Grian’s talented. We thought we’d get to see him. Not that we’re not happy to see the rest of you, of course.” Spifey hurried to add, to which Mumbo nodded in understanding. He steels himself as he barrels on. “It’s just that we were all really excited to see him. Quad toes. Triple axels. All that, y’know?”

Mumbo hums, seemingly lost in thought.

Spifey waits patiently for Mumbo to reinitiate the conversation. Outside, the rain continues to hammer at the windows. Spifey absentmindedly wonders about how Grian’s faring outside.

“How much do you know of Grian in general?” Mumbo suddenly asks.

Spifey blinks a couple of times before recomposing himself. “Umm… the things everyone else knows, I guess? Triple axel at thirteen. Sudden silence for three years, with no indications of him entering any more competitions than he already has. Sure, he’s dominated all the basic novice competitions, but the world expected more.  _ Expects _ more.”

Mumbo is silent.

“Mumbo?” Spifey prompts, gently, and he watches as the other skater snaps back to attention.

“Sorry, yeah- yeah. I’m just… not used to other people not knowing.”

“Not knowing what?” Spifey inquires, genuinely curious.

And as Mumbo searches in Spifey’s eyes, he knows it’s not the same curiosity as the others- the others, the bitter and jealous ones that ask after Grian’s progress just to make sure that they can match up to him.

So instead of steering the conversation away, he faces it head-on.

~

“He  _ what? _ ”

Spifey thinks he wants to rip his hair out.

Mumbo looks at him, almost with sympathy- but that’s not what Spifey is thinking of. No, he’s just freaking out over the fact that  _ hello, the possibly most talented figure skater that the world has ever been blessed with decided to quit the sport in question, and he’s not taking a break, no- he has no plans to return for it! He’s leaving for good! How about that? _

“But he  _ can’t! _ ” Spifey says, trying to make it make sense. 

“He can.” Mumbo says a tad bit defensively, and he notices, from the way he winces and draws back with a gentler tone. “He is free to make his own choices.”

“But  _ why? _ ” Spifey stresses. “It makes no sense! He had-  _ has _ \- so much potential!”

“He does, doesn’t he?” Mumbo mutters. “But it doesn’t matter.”

“ _ Why? _ ” Spifey repeats, demanding an answer.

Mumbo throws his hands up into the air in surrender. “I don’t know! Three years ago, there was an incident and an injury, and suddenly Grian leaves us for half a year. We didn’t know if he was going to come back or not!” His voice has nearly risen to a shout, and if the way the other rooms quiet is any indication, the others have an idea of what’s going on.

He pays them no mind. “And then he  _ does _ come back, but then it’s almost like he’s broken, and he just goes and tells us that he’s not skating anymore! We don’t know- he just came back like this, and he hasn’t changed since! Despite the fact that he’s still in the program!”

Silence.

Mumbo breathes heavily. Spifey stares at him with wide eyes. The hermits have gone silent, and the Idots are no longer beating each other up, not even trying to hide the fact that they’re eavesdropping. 

And of course, Grian chooses this moment to skip into the dormitory, holding two servings of pasta.

(Mumbo ignores how Grian keeps eating a skater’s diet.)

“Hey, Mumbo! How are you feeling about-” The smile slides off Grian’s face upon seeing Spifey, who stares.

It’s an awkward few seconds.

Spifey clears his throat uncomfortably. “I’ll.. be gone now.”

“Come by whenever.” Mumbo calls out, despite Grian’s silent plea.

It’s an invitation as much as it is a question.

_ You’ll help me get this idiot back on track? _

Spifey, pauses, hesitation flickering across his face for the briefest of moments- before he nods.

_ I will. _

Grian, unaware of their own silent conversation, doesn’t relax until the lock of the door clicks and Spifey is safely in his own room.

He hands Mumbo his dinner in silence.

They do not talk for the rest of the night, words heavy and hanging in the air between them. 

~

“You’re listening to Never Enough on repeat again, aren’t you.”

“Hey, in my defense.” False takes one of her earbuds out. “It’s a good song. Oh, and I happen to be using that for my exhibition routine, thank you.”

“No, no, I wasn’t judging.” Stress says amicably, weaving together the fresh flowers in her hands. “I just thought that you may get a little tired of it.”

“Of The Greatest Showman? Never.” False declares resolutely. She moves to restart the music again and focus on biology once more before Cleo cuts in.

“So we’re not going to address the elephant in the room?” 

False freezes. Stress looks up in surprise, then sighs. “Cleo, what is there to talk about, really?”

Cleo’s staring at her math homework like she wants to murder it. If False didn’t know better, she might’ve taken a step back, despite being seated. 

“Well, I just thought that we should be doing something.” Cleo gestures vaguely to the room beside theirs, where Grian and Mumbo reside. 

Stress hums as she continues to weave the flowers together. “I mean, let’s put it this way. Do we have control over Grian?”

Cleo frowns. “No.”

“Can we force him to continue skating?”

“No…”

“Do we want what’s the best for him?”

“Yes…”

Stress smiles, albeit it’s a little sad. “Cleo, figure skating might’ve been his passion, once. But it’s very possible that whatever happened three years ago took away that passion as a whole. We’re all childhood friends, yes, but we don’t know him all that well.”

Cleo frowns even harder. “But-”

“I’m not saying we don’t do anything.” Stress says, in that gentle tone that always gets Cleo to calm down. “But if we want to convince Grian to take up skating again, we’ll have to do it properly.”

“Haven’t we been trying for two years, now?” Cleo asks hotly.

Stress stands up and sets the flower crown on Cleo’s head. The lilies dangle, and Cleo grumbles but makes no move to take it off.

“Maybe he needs someone else to tell him that.” Stress says, tone still mild. “From his point of view, we’re people he’s been with nearly his whole career. Maybe he needs some other people- the Idots, perhaps.”

“The Idots.” Cleo mutters. “Sounds too much like idiots.”

False shrugs as she stands up to move over to the other two skaters. “Maybe so. But we probably shouldn’t jump to conclusions until they’ve proven they’re idiots.”

“Or the opposite.” Stress reminds them.

False chuckles. “Have you  _ heard _ them yelling at each other? And one of them has a foot fetish or something.”

Stress makes a face. “Well, I suppose that one’s fair, but... “

Cleo grumbles again. “Whatever. They’re decent enough on the ice.”

Stress smiles. “That’s the spirit. Now, any of you two want to help me water the flowers?”

False and Cleo look at each other, wincing.

“Oh, it’s not that bad!”

“Stress.” False says carefully. “We got so many cuts from the thorns on the roses last time. And you have so, so,  _ so _ many flowers-”

“It’s not that much.” Stress mentions offhandedly, like she doesn’t have an entire  _ greenhouse _ in their spare room. “I had more back home. Probably twice as many variants. Wish I could bring a few more blue or white flowers for the aesthetic, over here, but they don’t do well in the humid weather over here.”

Cleo blinks slowly. False gapes at her.

Stress looks up innocently. “Oh, Cleo, you might want to move the flower crown. It’s falling forward a little bit.”

Oh, so  _ that’s _ what the white block that was slowly dipping into her vision was.

Cleo adjusts the crown so that the petals aren’t falling into her face. “Stress- you have  _ twice as many variants _ at your home?”

Stress blinks at them, this time. “You’re telling me you don’t garden?”

Cleo and False continue to stare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Lilac: Joy of Youth
> 
> Ay song that I mentioned is Never Enough from the Greatest Showman  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKEMBn_JdCE


	4. Gladiolus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for that impromptu hiatus I took lol but I'm back  
> Also I changed the chapter titles :]
> 
> Also I covered Woe to the People of Order if ya wanna listen, it's instrumental: https://youtu.be/hfLQfC739I4

_ Spifeyy added MegaPvP, F1NN5TER, ZelkTheElk and six others to the group chat. _

_ Spifeyy renamed the group chat to  _ **_Figure skating idiots_ **

**ZombieCleo:** So you admit you’re idiots

**Stressmonster101:** Cleo 

**Stressmonster101:** Be nice

**ZombieCleo:** Fine

**ZelkTheElk:** I mean it wouldn’t be a far stretch

**ZelkTheElk:** Considering Vurb

**JustVurb:** Excuse me?

**F1NN5TER:** Let’s  _ not _ nuke another group chat, please

**Spifeyy:** Yes, what Finn said

**Grian:** Why am I here

**MumboJumbo:** If you’re going to keep on lurking on the seats of the skating rink and watch us on ice, you’re going to have to suffer through the chaos this group chat will inevitably devolve into

**Grian:** I could

**Grian:** Mute it

**MumboJumbo:** I’ll read out the messages to you at ungodly hours

**Grian:** ...Mumbo, you’re supposed to be the responsible one

**MumboJumbo:** I am

**Stressmonster101:** O-okay

**Stressmonster101:** But anyway, why does this exist again? Won’t we see each other at the rink anyway, because we’re going to be training in the same rink?

**MegaPvP:** Probably in case you guys leave us behind  _ unintentionally. _

**FalseSymmetry:** In our defense, it was funny

**JustVurb:** I was  _ soaked _

**F1NN5TER:** ^

**MegaPvP:** ^

**Spifeyy:** I will… refrain from commenting

**Spifeyy:** But yeah, it’s in case something happens. Or something. I don’t know. Always nice to have a group chat like this

**MegaPvP:** I’m already dreading the onslaught of notifications

**Grian:** We can suffer together, Mega, it’s alright

**MegaPvP:** Fuck off

**Spifeyy:** Mega.

**ZelkTheElk:** He’s huffing

**Spifeyy:** ...alright then

~

_ Spifeyy added MegaPvP, F1NN5TER, ZelkTheElk and five others to the group chat. _

_ Spifeyy renamed the group chat to  _ **_get the idiot back on track_ **

**MumboJumbo:** So you were serious about it

**Spifeyy:** Of course I was

**MegaPvP:** Why does this exist 

**Spifeyy:** Because Grian doesn’t want to skate but also we need to get him back into it

**JustVurb:** Excuse me

**F1NN5TER:** What

**FalseSymmetry:** It’s… complicated

**FalseSymmetry:** In all honesty we don’t know what happened either

**FalseSymmetry:** We just know that there was an incident, and it was enough to break him. We’ve been trying for years, but he just doesn’t want to listen to us

**ZelkTheElk:** ...not to be rude or anything

**ZelkTheElk:** But that might be because it’s you guys?

**Stressmonster101:** Yeah, that’s what I mentioned last night as well

**ZombieCleo:** ...yeah, maybe it’s that

**ZelkTheElk:** Then simple

**ZelkTheElk:** _We_ talk to him

**MumboJumbo:** Good luck, he’s quite stubborn

**F1NN5TER:** Oh man, you haven’t met  _ Vurb _ yet

**Spifeyy:** … guys?

**Spifeyy:** Shouldn’t we be, um.

**Spifeyy:** At the rink by now…?

**F1NNSTER:** Shit.

~

And that is how the five Idots and the five Hermits ended up running through the streets again, racing each other- though this time it wasn’t out of fun. Rather, panic.

“WHY DIDN’T YOU REMIND US, GRIAN??” Mumbo yelled over the wind.

“I LOST TRACK OF TIME AS WELL, AND IT’S USUALLY THE GIRLS THAT REMIND US!” The teen in question screamed back as they nimbly hopped over the branches and other debris that had been blown off by the wind last night.

“WAIT UP!” Stress could hear the distress in the Idots’ voices again, though this time she wasn’t exactly focused on that.

“YOUR PROBLEM!” Cleo shouted back as she continued to weave through the streets. 

The Hermits made it on the dot.

The Idots, on the other hand, were roughly thirty minutes late.

Sykkuno scanned the Hermits’ sweaty faces and narrowed his eyes at the obvious lack of Idots. “...did you guys leave them behind.”

Mumbo’s nervous laugh was more than enough of an answer.

Sykkuno sighed in exasperation as he walked off to the side, and the Hermits collectively heaved a sigh of relief. Quickly, they put on their skates and began to do rounds around the rink. 

The schedule would be as follows- the Hermits would take the rink during the day, they would all have lunch together, and afternoon would see the Hermits training for core endurance and such as the Idots took over the ice.

And Grian would watch.

The first week passes without much fanfare. Mostly, the Idots are settling in for a while, and Sykkuno and Corpse are shown what they already have as routines. 

Finn remembers the conversation they had about pair skating with perfect clarity.

_ “So who’s the pair skating duo here?” Sykkuno had asked cheerfully. _

_ Finn and Zelk exchanged a somewhat confused look. “Uh… Sykkuno? Aren’t you going to ask… where’s the girl?” _

_ Sykkuno blinked a couple of times. “I mean… the pair skate doesn’t necessarily need to be between a female and a male. Sure, international standards are a bit… harsh.” Sykkuno winced. “But I don’t care much for it.” _

_ There was silence. _

_ “...really?” Finn had asked, quietly. _

_ “Yeah.” Sykkuno shrugged. “Really, I don’t care much. So… who are your pair skaters? I’ll still need to pair Stress and False with two of you for exhibition routines.” _

_ Zelk and Finn looked at each other, this time nervously as they raised their hands. Unlike what they thought, Sykkuno’s smile did not fall off his face- if anything, it grew even wider. “Cool! So that leaves Spifey, Vurb and Mega, correct? Who wants to do a solo exhibition?" _

_ The other three Idots were confused, to say the least. “Uhh, Sykkuno?” Vurb cut in cautiously, completely out of character. “Surely… I mean, the three of us have solo exhibitions already. And I’m sure that Stress and Cleo do too-” _

_ “Oh, that.” Sykkuno gave that light laugh again. “Yeah, no, I don’t think it’ll be good for you guys to be skating the same two routines over and over for an entire year. Just for fun, you know?" _

_ Spifey’s mind blanked. “Just for… fun.” _

_ “Yep!” Sykkuno grinned. “Listen, you ten- you nine are some of the most talented figure skaters in history. I have no doubt that you can handle more routines.” _

_ Finn gulped. _

It was the most welcome  _ anyone _ had ever been about Finn and Zelk’s pair skating. Or, rather, Rose and Zelk.

She likes to be called Rose during pair skates, often.

But Finn digresses. 

Pairs ended up being Vurb with False and Mega with Stress. Finn would say he feels bad, for False- actually, scratch that, he  _ does. _ Don’t tell Vurb he said that.

They didn’t really end up skating in pairs for quite a while, though. Except for Finn and Zelk- they  _ are _ pair skaters, after all. And not just for exhibition. 

So the week after that passes peacefully. Nothing changes, in all honesty. The Idots take a little bit of time to adjust to the different timezones and get used to the schedule, but nothing changes for the Hermits. 

(Grian does not get on ice.)

It is easy to stay in your area of comfort. That’s a given. Change is hard, though necessary, and slowly the skaters grow a little too complacent.

Really, they should’ve seen this coming when their coaches decided to bring them more routines to… “have fun” with.

Really.

“This…” Spifey looked faintly ill. “Are you sure this is… a good idea, Sykkuno-?”

“Oh definitely.” The coach in question just continues to tap his foot to the music, as if he isn’t currently screwing over all nine of them. Grian seems to be snickering in the background, though… well, what does he know?

“A… group skate.” Spifey repeated, still faintly. “A group skate of nine people, to  _ Screech out. _ Which, may I remind, is  _ Newfoundlander _ music.”

“Oh, that’s not it.” Corpse put in, almost  _ absentmindedly. _ “If we’re lucky, you’re just going to do this as a practice- the real thing is most likely going to be much harder.”

Spifey paled even further.

“Uh.” Cleo cleared her throat. “...surely we can modify it? So it works on ice?”

Sykkuno frowned briefly, and Cleo immediately went  _ WAIT NO WAIT NO OH GOD HE’S NOT GOING TO CHANGE IT OH GOD- _

“I mean, I  _ suppose _ changes are inevitable.” Sykkuno said slowly. “But only for the practice. The real thing, preferably, will emulate the Newfoundland dance on ice. A challenge, but it would be quite memorable if I say so myself.”

“Memorable, certainly.” False muttered, still trying to get a mental grasp on how they were going to skate to  _ that. _

“Well!” Sykkuno clapped his hands. “On the ice! Let’s try this.”

~

“And a double axel there!” 

“WHAT?!”

“YOU HEARD HIM, JUST DO IT, VURB-”

“LISTEN I KNOW JUMPS ARE MY THING BUT THAT’S-”

“It  _ is _ supposed to be a challenge, Vurb! Try it!”

“FUCK!”

“Language!”

“Oh shit, Vurb, you good?”

“Yeah I’m fine-”

“Okay, up! We try that again.”

“Oh man-”

“Okay, Mumbo, try to do the spins there. Yeah, like that- keep on going, don’t stop- keep on going, keep on going- oh god-”

“Mumbo!”

“I’m good!”

“That’s a… lot of spins. Maybe we can cut down on that part. Mm… okay, False, your section. Get to Vurb-”

“ _ WHy? _ ” “ _ WhAT? _ ”

“Yes, you two, you heard me- if we pull this off, it’s going to be  _ chaos _ on ice but it’s going to be eye-pleasing chaos. Trust me. Now, you throw her into the air, catch her again, let her spin that off- yeah! Like that!”

“Oh. That’s not too bad.”

“Exactly! Now, Cleo and Mumbo- after Mumbo does those spins, you two do that step sequence that we talked about earlier.”

“...the one with a bunch of half turns and kinda hops?”

“...aren’t these moves like. Illegal? Under figure skating terms?”

“They are! But it’s an exhibition routine, so really, who cares?”

“...fair.”

“Okay! So you two pull that off- Mega and Stress, mostly you guys are just chilling and making rounds around the rink until the fiddle- violin? Fiddle? I don’t know the difference- the string solo comes in, and the rest of them just kinda freeze while you two do your thing.”

“...sounds nerve wracking.”

“You’ll be fine! No, Mega, you  _ cannot _ switch positions with Mumbo. He needs to work on his spins.”

“I-... I don’t have a defense, in all honesty.”

“So, let’s get working! Okay, now, Spifey- this is an important part for you. It’s… well, hard to describe- here, let me show you.”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“WHAT??”

“Yeah! Like- like that. Doable, yeah?”

“I-  _ what?? _ ”

“Just a few flying spins- hoo, that took a little outta me- but yeah! Flying spins, and a few salchows! Those are fun, yeah?”

“Uhh, Sykkuno, are you  _ insane?? _ ”

“Well, I don’t know. Corpse, am I?”

“Mm. Kind of. But also, I can see why it would work out really well. We can work with this.”

“...”

“So! Spifey, you up for it? We can always change it, of course, but for maximum effect-”

“...why is our  _ exhibition _ routine so hard?”

“I mean, this isn’t even the hardest one yet. In the other variation,  _ hopefully _ we’ll throw in a couple of quads. Maybe we’ll snag the ending ceremony skate one of those days, if it’s big and grand enough.”

“...so we can learn this in a year?”

“A year? Nah. Definitely not. But we’ll make it! It just takes a little bit of time.”

“...”

~

“Struggling, I see.” Grian snickered as Spifey vaguely stumbled towards the benches.

The latter grumbled. “Shut up.”

“It’s not that hard, you know.” Grian said conversationally. “Flying camel- just make sure not to overshoot. You know how to do a single spin easily enough- so practice landing on one foot, and not on an edge, either. Get more used to that, and it’ll make it easier to gain momentum for the camel spin.”

Spifey blinked.

Grian tapped his fingers on his knees, unphased.

“You… seem to have experience.” Spifey said carefully.

Grian tensed. Froze. Spifey did too.

_ Ah, shit. _

“Just a little bit.” There’s something else to his tone now- something sharp, sharp enough to cut. “Wouldn’t help me, so thought I’d share.”

“...I see.”

Grian’s lips were now set into a hard line, and Spifey awkwardly took off his skates.

If any of the others noticed the tension as they made their walk home in… relative silence… nobody said anything. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Gladiolus: Strength, Integrity
> 
> Song mentioned: SCREECH OUT FROM COME FROM AWAY WOOOO  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIyFmcGKguU

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and Kudos are always appreciated- comments even more.  
> Join my discord server: https://discord.gg/HwbkW8jqrf  
> My YT channel (I post songs): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQHHEpmzIrOYyxX659-3tfA  
> Art is always very, very welcome  
> See you guys next week hopefully ;-;


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